Krypder Riders

"Hudso Shaku, leader of the Krypder Riders. We will happily retrieve our world's property from your dead bodies."

―Hudso Shaku, to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker^[1]

The Krypder Riders were a group of pirates led by Hudso Shaku that operated on the planet Dallenor during the later years of the Galactic Republic. After a Jedi holocron was discovered during an archaeological excavation on Dallenor, Shaku and the Krypder Riders attempted to steal it between 32 BBY and 29 BBY. However, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who had been sent to investigate the holocron, defended themselves from the Krypder Riders and prevented the pirates from taking the holocron.

Description

The Krypder Riders was a pirate gang that operated on the the Mid Rim planet Dallenor. Led by Hudso Shaku, the gang included many members of Dallenor's native species,^[1] the Fosh.^[2] The pirates were outfitted with swords, and many of them wore armor, particularly around their chests and shoulders. Some of the pirates also wore goggles or masks over their faces, along with fabric wrapped around their neck areas. Shaku rode on the back of a quadrupedal creature.^[1]

History

"The pirates! They're here! They must have seen us land!"

―Anakin Skywalker^[1]

During the reign of the Galactic Republic, the Krypder Riders were operating on Dallenor, where a group of offworlders began an archaeological excavation. The pirates initially caused issues with the offworlders until they discovered that the excavated artifacts, comprising broken bits of century-old droids, to be of no value to them. However, that soon changed when an ancient Jedi holocron was discovered. The Krypder Riders inspected the excavation for a second time, forcing Clatriffe, the Togruta in charge of the dig, to plant guards around to keep the pirates away.^[1]

Obi-Wan Kenobi fights the Krypder Riders.

Between 32 BBY and 29 BBY,^[3] the Jedi Order dispatched Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, to Dallenor to retrieve the holocron. However, when the Krypder Riders encountered the two Jedi, Shaku hostilely claimed proprietorial rights over the archaeological finds and threatened the lives of the Jedi. Kenobi ignited his lightsaber in defense, prompting Shaku to order his men to seize the laser sword instead as the more valuable prize.^[1]

As the pirates engaged Kenobi, he began incapacitating them. Shaku used the distraction to take Skywalker hostage, demanding the lightsaber in exchange for his young captive's freedom. However, Skywalker used the Force to lift a number of stones and knock down Shaku from behind. With Shaku unconscious, Kenobi prompted the rest of the Krypder Riders to leave.^[1]

Behind the scenes

"Fun fact I put two of my friends' dogs in Star Wars"
"[…]"
"In the Obi-Wan issues, there is a group named the Krypder Riders. Named after two good dogs, Krypto and Derby"

―Jody Houser, on a live Twitch stream chat^[4]

The Krypder Riders first appeared in the comic Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1, written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Cory Smith and Wilton Santos,^[1] and published by Marvel Comics on January 2, 2019.^[5] On a live Twitch stream chat, Houser revealed that she had named the pirate gang after two of her friends' dogs, Krypto and Derby.^[4]